2016 Suzuki Baleno arrives with new 1.0 litre 3-cylinder engine – costs from £12,999

The 2016 Suzuki Baleno arrives in the UK with a new platform and a new 1.0 litre 3-cylinder petrol engine producing 109bhp. Costs from £12,999.

The new Suzuki Baleno might seem a bit of an odd move for Suzuki as it already has the appealing Swift covering supermini duties in the UK, but it’s not as daft an idea as you first think.

Not all buyers are enamoured of the funky supermini, and many more traditional buyers want a more conventional car that looks ‘normal’, is practical and economical and doesn’t cost and arm and a leg.

The new Suzuki Baleno ticks a lot of those boxes, and it isn’t just a conventional take on the Swift, but built on a new platform with lower weight and increased rigidity, and with the option of a new 1.0 litre 3-cylinder engine – producing 109bhp and official economy of 62.7mpg – it’s a very modern car wrapped up in more traditional clothes.

That 109bhp 3-pot is joined by a 1.2 litre mild hybrid powertrain which has an integrated starter generator (ISG) to help with acceleration, with energy stored in a lithium-ion battery from regenerative braking. The results are economy of 70.6mpg.

The starting model is the SZ-T 1.0 litre Boosterjet which comes with 16″ alloys, Air Con, Sat Nav, DAB, USB, Bluetooth, HID lights, privacy glass, Cruise and electric front windows. Which isn’t exactly a shoddy spec for a £12,999 car.

SZ-5 models – which can be had with either the 1.0 litre or 1.2 hybrid – add in Climate, rear electric windows, 4.2″ colour display, LED tail lights, Adaptive Cruise and Radar Brake Support. Prices start at £13,499 for the 1.2 litre SHVS, with the  1.0 litre 3-pot costing from £13,999 (an auto ‘box adds £1350).

The 2016 Suzuki Baleno goes on sale in Suzuki’s UK dealers on 1 June.